alternatehistory.com

During the the Battle of Saratoga on October 7th Benedict Arnold is shot in the leg while leading the final charge of the day which carries Breymann Redoubt on the right flank of the British fortifications. Unknown at the time a major artery has been nicked and when it opens that night he bleeds to death before anyone can realize the problem.

Many credit Arnold with winning the campaign, especially when considering his previous actions driving back Colonel St Ledger's forces to the west, including most of the American officers on the spot, including Henry Dearborn, Benjamin Lincoln and Daniel Morgan.

After reports come in George Washington also credits Arnold with the victory, instead of the commander, Horatio Gates and the Continental Congress ultimately credits the 'hero and martyr Arnold' with laying down his life for his nation's victory.

An outraged Horatio Gates offers his resignation, which is accepted to his shock, based not only on his actions(or lack thereof) during the battle but the clear contempt in which far too many senior officers now hold him.

In retrospect the decision by Gates to attempt to deny Arnold rightful credit for his role in the battle provoked many officers involved in the battle to openly challenge his reports, leaving little hope of avoiding some kind of crisis.

Assume the following changes...

Gates, heartbroken, fades from history and plays no further role in the ARW.

Arnold obviously never marries Peggy Shippen and is remembered in history as the highest ranking officer to lay down his life for the ARW(technically this is not correct), as well as the hero of many battles, including the decisive campaign which won the alliance with France.

What happens after this? The Battle of Camden strikes me as the one point most likely to see a difference as the American defeat could hardly have been made worse and might have become a victory, given a better commander.
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